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Major Y&R characters that were/have never been recast
In the soap opera world, it is common to recast characters with new actors. Some recasts take place due to actors’ inconvenience to continue while some recasts take place as the storyline demands for it. Viewers may recall the show has had some major recasts in recent years like that of Adam Newman and Phyllis Summers. However, there are also characters that were or have never been recast to this date. Here’s a complete rundown of characters that have been portrayed by only one actor to this day.
1. Neil Winters
Actor Kristoff St. John originated the role, becoming the first-ever African-American actor to grace the screen of the daytime show. He portrayed the role until he passed away in 2019.
After Kristoff’s sudden death, the writers could have gone along to recast the role of Neil Winters. But considering the legacy that the actor held on the show, they decided otherwise. Neil Winters was also laid to rest, with the character passing away off-screen. His final episode aired on February 6, 2019, only eight days shy of his 28th anniversary on the show.
Up until this day, Kristoff remains the longest-running black actor to star on Y&R.
Watch on YouTube: Where are late actor Kristoff St. John’s daughters now?
2. Esther Valentine
Most of you may not know this, but the character of Esther did not even have a name in the beginning. The name “Esther” was coined after Jeanne Cooper, the portrayer of Katherine Chancellor, called the name out of the blue during a taping, while the cameras were rolling.
A nationwide contest was held to give the character a surname. “Valentine” and “Diamond” were two options that were the most picked by the public. Kate Linder decided to go with Valentine in honor of her real-life wedding anniversary. Linder was married to her husband, late Dr. Ronald L. Linder, on Valentine’s Day of 1976.
Since the time of the character’s inception, Kate Linder remains the only actress to have portrayed the role. Interestingly, Linder has continued to serve as a flight attendant for United Airlines throughout her tenure at Y&R. For her contributions, Linder was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She is the third actor to earn a star solely on the merits of acting on a soap opera.
3. Victor Newman
Reportedly, his first contract with Y&R stated that his tenure at the show would last for a span of only 2 to 3 months. However, the character became an immediate hit among the viewers, and Eric became promoted to series regular.
Eric must have certainly been thrilled to have booked a long-term tenure at one of the biggest television shows.
However, his journey as The Mustache on Y&R has not always been joyous. Back in the day, there was a time when Braeden felt dissatisfied by the way his character was portrayed on screen.
“I’d begun to sink into a depression, not over the work itself but over what I perceived to be the lack of depth in the Victor Newman character. More and more, I felt I was playing a dehumanized man who could be cold, cruel, manipulative, and amorally shrewd, for no other reason than because he could. I didn’t understand what on earth was driving this man, or, as an actor, what range there was to play in Victor Newman beyond his two most prominent qualities: charm, and a megalomaniacal need for control. If that’s all he was and all he was ever going to be, there wasn’t enough substance there to inspire me to continue, let alone on a long-term basis,” he wrote in his memoir.
About four years after the actor debuted on Y&R, the then head-writer Bill Bell came up with a storyline that changed his perception of Victor forever. It was a Christmas storyline where Victor revealed to Nikki that he grew up in an orphanage. His mother had left him there when he was seven years old after his drunken father abandoned them.
Watch on YouTube: The Newman Family Tree: Who is who in the Newman family on Young and the Restless?
4. Nick Newman
Various child actors played the role of Nick until 1994 when the character was aged into a teenager. Joshua Morrow took over the role when Nick was SORASed into a teenager. He has since been playing the role, aging simultaneously with the character.
As of today, Joshua has been with Y&R for twenty-six years. Interestingly, Nick Newman is his debut as well as the only television role to this day.
Like Eric, Joshua also went through a time when he had a second thought about his job. Looking back on that time, Morrow said, “What was I thinking? This is the best job in the world – outside of sports, which was my dream. There are times you question [decisions], but this life that I’ve somehow earned, which I never feel I have, is the greatest thing that’s happened to me.”
Watch on YouTube: How much money has Joshua Morrow (Nick Newman) made on the set of Y&R?
5. Dina Abbott Mergeron
The Abbott matriarch, Dina Abbott Mergeron, is yet another character that had not been recast throughout her entire tenure at the show. Marla Adams originated the role in 1983 and remained with the show for 37 years until her character passed away on screen due to old age. The character had, however, been played by another actress, Cathay Marks, for scenes depicting the stories about the time when she was younger.
6. J.T. Hellstrom
The character left GC in 2010 and came back seven years later during which he was involved in a major storyline revolving around his missing and murder case.
The former love interest of Victoria Newman was solely portrayed by Thad Luckinbill the entire time. While portraying on-screen lovers, Thad and Amelia Heinle, fell in love in real life as well and got married in 2007.
Thad filed for divorce from her co-star-turned-wife in 2017 but reports claim that they are still together.
7. Devon Hamilton
For more than three decades, Y&R had majorly been about soapy topics like love, lust, betrayal, rivalry, and power. The show decided to tell a story outside of its typical realm after actress Victoria Rowell pitched the idea to the then head-writers.
Victoria wanted the show to be inclusive of real-life matters like the foster care system to shed light on the struggles of real-life foster children. Thus, Devon Hamilton, a teen foster-care product was created.
Actor Bryton James was hired to play the role and to this date, he remains the only portrayer.
Watch on YouTube: Devon gets the shocker of a lifetime | He’s not the real dad of Dominic!
8. Kevin Fisher
Fisher was introduced as a series regular and was later dropped to recurring status. Nevertheless, the character has never been recast. From the beginning till now, Rikaart remains the only actor to play the role of Kevin Fisher on Y&R.
Read More: Greg Rikaart returns to Days of Our Lives | Does this mean he is leaving Y&R?
9. Christine Blair
Lauralee Bell originated the role of Christine Blair in 1983. She was only 14 when she debuted on Y&R and Christine Blair is the first-ever role of her career.
Initially brought in as a model, Blair was supposed to be on the show for a brief time. She was offered a contract extension in 1986 and over time, her character has turned into a legal aid lawyer.
Lauralee was a prominent cast member in the past. However, in the past few years, she has been making recurring appearances.
10. Michael Baldwin
Christian LeBlanc originated the role of Michael Baldwin on Y&R in 1991. He departed the show two years later but returned in 1997. Since then he has been making recurring appearances, with his character working as a lawyer for other prominent characters on the show.
Once in 2005, Baldwin had a brief crossover on another CBS soap opera, As the World Turns, where he served as an attorney for Kin Shriner’s character, Keith Morrissey. It made him the first Y&R character to have a crossover appearance on As the World Turns. However, it wasn’t the first time that Christian had appeared in that show.
From 1983 to 1985, he played the role of Kirk McColl on the show.
Watch on YouTube: Is Christian LeBlanc (Michael Baldwin) the next to leave Y&R after Richard Burgi?
11. Cane Ashby
Cane Ashby is a former character of the show, which was portrayed by Australian actor Daniel Goddard.
The actor had initially auditioned for the role of Brad Snyder on As the World Turns. He could not get the role but the senior vice-president at the show recommended him to Y&R’s then head-writer and executive producer, Lynn Marie Latham. He eventually booked the role of Cane Ashby on Y&R.
12. Traci Abbott
When Traci was first created, the writers had planned it to be a short-term role that would have lasted two to three months. However, Maitland’s impressive performance earned her a contract from the show.
Maitland first received a five-year contract with the show, following which the contract was extended. She was a series regular until the mid-90s. Since then, she has been making recurring appearances.
Although the role has never been recast, a child actress, Valentina Sky Gordon, was hired in 2018 to play the younger version of the role.
13. Chelsea Lawson
In January of 2018, Daytime Confidential reported that Melissa would not be renewing her contract with the show, following which Melissa herself took to social media to announce her departure. However, the door was left open for her to return. Ultimately, in mid-2019, she did make a comeback. She has since been playing a significant role in the show.